Amritpal fled to Uttarakhand?

Woman, who provided shelter to the radical Khalistani preacher, was held in Haryana.

Fugitive 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh, who continues to remain at large, was last spotted by CCTV cameras in Uttarakhand even as Punjab Police's hunt for the Khalistani leader entered seventh day on Friday without a breakthrough. He has been on the run since March 18.

Latest media reports suggest that Amritpal and his close aide Papalpreet Singh may have sneaked into neighbouring Uttarakhand. An alert has been issued in Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts in view of the possibility of the fugitives entering the State clandestinely, Uttarakhand Director-General of Police Ashok Kumar said.

"An alert has been issued in Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts of the State as a precaution in view of the possibility of pro-Khalisthan Amritpal Singh entering the State," DGP Kumar told ANI. The police are conducting intensive checking on the borders of all three districts and in other areas, he added.

Tightening their vigilance to nab the absconding duo, the Uttarakhand police have put up checkpoints and distributed posters in villages across the Nepal border in view of their possibility to leave the country, reported PTI.

Woman who sheltered Amritpal held

Baljit Kaur, a resident of Kurukshetra who allegedly provided shelter to Amritpal and Papalpreet at her house in Kurukshetra on March 19, was arrested from Shahbad by Haryana police. The woman told interrogators that the duo confided in her that they might move to Uttarakhand next.

Kaur had known Papalpreet for more than two years, Punjab Inspector-General of Police (Headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill said. Kurukshetra SP Surender Singh Bhoria said, "During our preliminary investigation, Baljit admitted that Amritpal (whom she had not met before) stayed at her residence with Papalpreet on that night.

Meanwhile, police have relased latest footage from March 20, showing the 'Waris Punjab De' chief walking in the rain with umbrella in one hand and a bag in other. The footage is from Kurukshetra. It is believed that the Khalisani leader got out of Punjab on March 19.

Authorities had last week suspended internet and SMS services in the State following the police crackdown against elements of 'Waris Punjab De' headed by Amritpal. Though many of his followers were nabbed, the radical Sikh preacher himself however gave the cops a slip and escaped their dragnet when his cavalcade was intercepted in Jalandhar district.